Estes Park Visitor Center — Attraction in Estes Park

My husband and I arrived to Estes Park late in the day on 10.06.19. We stopped by the visitor's center to view Elk, take a quick restroom break, and find a recommendation for dinner. The facility was very nice and was also very busy when we arrived. We were glancing through a pamphlet of restaurants in the area when staff loudly and pointedly exclaimed that they were closed and everyone had to leave. A gentleman added that they would answer any questions the best they could, but that it was closing time. Not wanting to take up any of their time, we went directly to the counter to ask for their recommendation for dinner. One gentleman was working with another visitor, but a lady also stood behind the counter. I politely said, "Excuse me, I have a quick question", in which the gentleman sharply responded, "yeah, okay, right after this other quick question". His verbiage and tone made it seem as if both myself and the gentleman he was working with were an inconvenience for him. I was taken aback, since I hadn't actually directed my statement to him, but the woman behind him. I responded to the gentleman apologetically, mentioning that I didn't realize he was working alone, glancing at the woman again. Only then did she step toward us to answer our question. We weren't at all welcomed by the kindness you should receive at a visitor's center.

My disappointment mainly stems from my history with a career in tourism. My experience made me acutely aware of the staff's behavior and the lack of professionalism that was being displayed. It is always important to remember that tourism plays an extremely vital role in towns like Estes Park. The idea is to keep people wanting more... to give them something great to come back to. That excitement, that kindness, that enthuiasm about a location as great as yours can/should absolutely start in a visitor information center. You have a top notch venue for displaying the amazing things that the area has to offer. Always keep in mind that if people are coming to you first, completely brand new to the area, it is very important to make them feel welcome and to treat them with kindness and respect, even if it's time to leave for the day. I am thankful the rest of our evening was pleasant, but regret to say that this experience made our visit much less enjoyable than it could have been. Hospitality training is SO important. I would highly recommend it...

When checking in to our Holiday Inn (great hotel for the whole family with kids btw!) we were told there was a shuttle that picked up every half hour at 5 minutes after.

At 5:35 on 7/6/25 a completely empty bus (#35) pulled up, opened the door, and a lady driver said, "Going to the rodeo?"

Me: "I thought this shuttle would take us down town but you're saying there's a rodeo?" Is this all this bus does?

Lady Driver: "Sir, I don't have time to educate. The Visitor Center is a 5 minutes walk that way" (as she points)

She then drives off with an empty bus and my wife and I look at each other strangely while our children look at us wondering what we do next.

I say to the family, "Okay, let's all hop in our van and go exploring"

While discussing the snippy lady driving the bus with my wife I've come to the conclusion that: I understand public transportation can be in a hurry, but I was not asking for a big description or education on anything There were no other individuals at our site waiting to get on the bus She wasn't stopped at our location for more than 15-20 seconds MAX Even if she needed to leave without giving us a ride to the Visitor Center or downtown there are a million other ways she could have said so more kindly and respectfully of a fellow human being.

Funny enough, we drive to the visitor center, parked, got out, only to find the doors were locked and they had closed at 5. The one thing she did rudely point us to wasn't even available! We went back to our van and when pulling out of the visitor center there right next to us in the driveway was the same bus (#35) with the same driver.

We continued on and didn't want to make a deal of it in front of our children but I'm disappointed they had to witness someone being so unkind and crappy at her job with the public.

It was an overall disappointing experience all because of one...

I highly recommend not wasting your time going to this Visitor Center. I cannot explain how excited we were to get to our Hotel and find out the visitor center was within walking distance. Our expectation and excitement were quickly diminished upon walking in to the Estes Park Visitor Center and speaking with an employee that was not very passionate in assisting first time visitors to the area. I understand this is not a visitor center leading into Rocky Mountain National Park however you are on the doorstep of the park. You should be willing to accept that travelers come to Estes Park and may not understand the difference. Your lack of compassion and desire to understand this acceptable fact left us feeling defeated. Do yourself a favor and do not waste your time here or even get excited about visiting. Go to one of the park entrance visitor centers and you will not be disappointed. They have employees that actually care about helping people enjoy the nature and beauty of Rocky Mountain...